The Leighton Township Board has decided to go back to the drawing board on seeking millage approval in the wake of the defeats of two proposals for increases in the Aug. 6 primary.
The board, in a special meeting Tuesday, Aug. 13, agreed to ask only for renewals for police and fire protection and equipment and for public road construction maintenance improvements. This means voters in the Nov. 5 general election will be asked to approve a request for a half mill for police and fire and one mill for roads. Because of provisions in the Headlee Amendment, the actual increases would be 0.4744 mill and 0.9834 mill, respectively.
Voters Aug. 6 soundly rejected the road millage request for a one-mill increase, but the police and fire protection voice was closer.
Nonetheless, township officials chose to simply go back to asking for renewals for both.
The decision at the special meeting was necessary in order to ensure the two renewal requests meet the deadline to be placed on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Township Clerk Rachel Fennema last month pointed out that both millages will expire at the end of this year, so it is essential to have approval, at least at the current millage levels.
Planning Commission member State Shoemaker in July told the board information provided on the bill he received was confusing, suggesting the increases were more than they actually were. He added that he worried the result would be defeats at the polls in the primary.
In other business at the regular meeting Thursday evening, the Township Board:
- After a public hearing, approved a request for a tax abatement of up to 50 percent and 12 years from Walinga USA, which has been operating its business on Electric Avenue since 2006. Walinga is in the middle of a construction and expansion project and plans to purchase additional equipment. The company promises the addition of 20 employees. It was reported to be the company’s largest expansion ever.
- Reported that the Gun Lake Casino’s revenue sharing agreement from the last six months was $18,4354.
- Was told by Shoemaker in an e-mail that the Planning Commission has been working on updating the township’s master plan.
